Hear No Evil / Cherry Red Records released this 5-CD set entitled “Nothing Comes Easy: 1991-2012” covering the legendary LYNYRD SKYNYRD albums period from ‘Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991’, ‘The Last Rebel (1993)’, ‘God And Guns (2009)’, the bonus collectible ‘God And Guns EP’, to ‘Last Of A Dyin’ Breed (2012)’, all remastered, plus additional bonus tracks.
While LYNYRD SKYNYRD is mostly known for their early era classics, during the Nineties and for 2 decades the band rocked like a monster machine, and it’s great to revisit these album missed by many during the obscure ’90s.
This is the real ”Nothing Comes Easy: 1991-2012” box set, complete, as there’s a digital version without bonus tracks and the bonus EP is incomplete.
Fronted by Johnny Van Zandt, younger brother of inimitable Skynyrd singer and front man Ronnie Van Zandt, he was joined by original band members Gary Rossington on guitar, Ed King on guitar, Leon Wilkeson on bass, Billy Powell on keyboards and Artimus Pyle on drums for “Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991”. Guided by legendary producer Tom Dowd, and signing to Atlantic Records, “1991” kicks off with single ‘Smokestack Lightning’. This release includes the single edit of ‘Keeping The Faith’ as a bonus track.
1993’s “The Last Rebel”, their seventh album, and second for Atlantic, included the singles ‘Good Lovin’s Hard To Find’ and ‘Born To Run’. The three bonus tracks included here are ‘The Last Rebel’ (Edit) ‘The Last Rebel’ (Acoustic)’ and ‘Born To Run (Edit)’
Lynyrd Skynyrd continued to tour and release records throughout the 1990s and into the next decade, eventually releasing their thirteenth record “Gods & Guns” in 2009 on Roadrunner Records. Including guest spots from John 5 and Rob Zombie, and produced by Bob Marlette, “God & Guns” was their highest charting release since 1977’s “Street Survivors”, peaking at #18 on the U.S. Billboard chart.
By this time, southern rock legend Ricky Medlocke had been a fully paid up member of Skynyrd for more than twenty years. Kicking off with the singles ‘Still Unbroken’ and ‘Simple Life’, it marked the final album to feature keyboard player Billy Powell, who sadly passed away at the beginning of 2009.
The bonus tracks / EP from the special edition are included here; ‘Bang Bang’, ‘Raining In My Heartland’, ‘Hobo Kinda Man’, plus three live tracks recorded at the Freedom Hall in Lousiville, Kentucky, ‘Red White & Blue’ (Live), JJ Cale’s ‘Call Me The Breeze’ (Live) and the perennial classic, ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ (Live).
Released in 2012, fourteenth studio album “Last Of A Dyin’ Breed” made an even better dent on the U.S. chart, peaking at #14. Again produced by Bob Marlette and released on Roadrunner Records, the title track appeared as the lead single.
Released in various formats, including a Classic Rock magazine “fanpack”, this version includes six bonus tracks from the album; ‘Poor Man’s Dream’, ‘Do It Up Light’, ‘Sad Songs’, ‘Low Down Dirty’, ‘Skynyrd Nation’ (Live) and fittingly finishing off with a live rendition of a track from their 1973 debut, “(Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd)”, ‘Gimme Three Steps’ (Live).
“Nothing Comes Easy: 1991-2012” is areally welcomed box set, highlighting one of less heard periods of legendary LYNYRD SKYNYRD, and a very good one. These albums really rock.
Highly Recommended
Track Listing:
DISC ONE:
1991
1. SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING
2. KEEPING THE FAITH
3. SOUTHERN WOMEN
4. PURE & SIMPLE
5. I’VE SEEN ENOUGH
6. GOOD THING
7. MONEY MAN
8. BACKSTREET CRAWLER
9. IT’S A KILLER
10. MAMA (AFRAID TO SAY GOODBYE)
11. END OF THE ROAD
BONUS TRACK
12. KEEPING THE FAITH (EDIT)
DISC TWO:
THE LAST REBEL
1. GOOD LOVIN’S HARD TO FIND
2. ONE THING
3. CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY
4. BEST THING’S IN LIFE
5. THE LAST REBEL
6. OUTTA HELL IN MY DODGE
7. KISS YOUR FREEDOM GOODBYE
8. SOUTH OF HEAVEN
9. LOVE DON’T ALWAYS COME EASY
10. BORN TO RUN
BONUS TRACKS
11. THE LAST REBEL (EDIT)
12. THE LAST REBEL (ACOUSTIC)
13. BORN TO RUN (EDIT)
DISC THREE:
GOD AND GUNS
1. STILL UNBROKEN
2. SIMPLE LIFE
3. LITTLE THING CALLED YOU
4. SOUTHERN WAYS
5. SKYNYRD NATION
6. UNWRITE THAT SONG
7. FLOYD
8. THAT AIN’T MY AMERICA
9. COMIN’ BACK FOR MORE
10. GOD & GUNS
11. STORM
12. GIFTED HANDS
BONUS TRACK
13. STILL UNBROKEN (EDIT)
DISC FOUR:
GOD AND GUNS BONUS EP
1. BANG BANG
2. RAINING IN MY HEARTLAND
3. HOBO KINDA MAN
4. RED WHITE & BLUE (LIVE)
5. CALL ME THE BREEZE (LIVE)
6. SWEET HOME ALABAMA (LIVE)
DISC FIVE:
LAST OF A DYIN’ BREED
1. LAST OF A DYIN’ BREED
2. ONE DAY AT A TIME
3. HOMEGROWN
4. READY TO FLY
5. MISSISSIPPI BLOOD
6. GOOD TEACHER
7. SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR
8. LIFE’S TWISTED
9. NOTHING COMES EASY
10. HONEY HOLE
11. START LIVIN’ LIFE AGAIN
BONUS TRACKS
12. POOR MAN’S DREAM
13. DO IT UP LIGHT
14. SAD SONGS
15. LOW DOWN DIRTY
16. SKYNYRD NATION (LIVE)
17. GIMME THREE STEPS (LIVE)
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Nothing Comes Easy 1991-2012, 5CD , Cherry Red Records remaster
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